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Retro TV W/C 16th October 2009

Barry Murphy returns once more to trawl the TV and radio guides (so you don't have to), finding anything worth tuning into this week. All listings are for UK terrestrial TV, Freeview and national radio, with the shows running from Friday 16th October to Thursday 22nd October 2009.

Highlight of the week

In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Voltaire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.

BBC 4's new documentary Synth Britannia (Friday 16th, 9pm, repeated 12.20am and Sunday 18th, 11.40pm) follows a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.

The crossover moment came in 1979 when Gary Numan's appearance on Top of the Pops with Tubeway Army's Are Friends Electric heralded the arrival of synthpop. Four lads from Basildon known as Depeche Mode would come to own the new sound whilst post-punk bands like Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD and Yazoo took the synth out of the pages of the NME and onto the front page of Smash Hits.

By 1983, acts like Pet Shop Boys and New Order were showing that the future of electronic music would lie in dance music. Contributors include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant.

Synth Britannia – BBC 4. 9.00pm – 10.30pm (Repeated 12.20am)New. An examination of the musical backdrop of the 1980s when synthpop was all the rage, having been introduced on Top of the Pops in 1979 and popularised by bands including Depeche Mode, Ultravox and Soft Cell. The documentary studies how this genre influenced electronic music and groups such as Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Featuring interviews with Bernard Sumner and Gary Numan.Peep Show (5/6) – Channel 4. 10.00pm – 10.30pmSeries six. New. Mark and Jez decide to throw a party as a final hurrah before the baby arrives. Mark sees the occasion as the last-chance saloon with Dobby, while Jez attempt to make the sultry Elena jealous. What could possibly go wrong?

Synth at the BBC – BBC 4. 10.30pm – 11.30pmNew. Performances of synthpop classics from the BBC's musical archives, featuring hits by Roxy Music and New Order and many others. Later… with Jools Holland – BBC 2. 11.35pm – 12.40amAn extended version of Tuesday's edition featuring Jimmy Ruffin.

Film: The Damned (1961) – BBC 2. 2.05am – 3.40amBritish sci-fi thriller starring Oliver Reed. While seeking refuge from a violent biker gang at a nearby base, an American tourist finds a group of mysterious children with a deadly secret.

Sounds of the 60s – BBC Radio 2. 8.00am – 10.00amBrian Matthew spins two hours of hits, B -sides and album tracks. Twice Ken is Plenty: the Lost Script of Kenneth Williams – BBC Radio 4. 10.30am – 11.00amA recently unearthed script written for Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams in 1966 is given its first radio performance before an audience by Robin Sebastian as Williams and Jonathan Rigby as Horne, with Charles Armstrong as the Announcer. Introduced by the script's finder Wes Butters.

Synth Britannia – BBC 4. 11.40pm – 1.10amAn examination of the musical backdrop of the 1980s when synthpop was all the rage, having been introduced on Top of the Pops in 1979 and popularised by bands including Depeche Mode, Ultravox and Soft Cell. The documentary studies how this genre influenced electronic music and groups such as Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Featuring interviews with Bernard Sumner and Gary Numan.

Synth at the BBC – BBC 4. 1.10am – 2.10amPerformances of synthpop classics from the BBC's musical archives, featuring hits by Roxy Music and New Order and many others.

Monday 19th October

TV

Film: The Destructors (1968) – Channel 4. 1.35pm – 3.25pmSci-fi adventure starring Richard Egan. A government agent is called in when the rubies needed to power a top-secret laser gun are stolen by Communist spies.The Sweeney – ITV 4. 5.45pm – 6.50pmRegan's set up by an ex-con.

Glamour's Golden Age (1/3) – BBC 4. 9.00pm – 10.00pmNew. Exploring the decades between the First and Second World Wars, when a cultural revolution in music, fashion and the arts occurred. Narrated by Hermione Norris.

The Thick of It: the Rise of the Nutters (1/2) – BBC 4. 11.00pm – 12MidnightFearsome spin doctor Malcolm Tucker attempts to keep control as the Government and the Opposition both make bids for power.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet – ITV 4. 9.00pm – 11.10pmDouble bill. Oz falls for a German girl, and nuptials are in the air. Film: Cabaret (1972) – BBC 4. 10.30pm – 12.30amPart of the Age of Glamour strand. Oscar-winning musical drama starring Liza Minnelli. A love affair develops between a cabaret singer and a naive young Englishman in the decadent Berlin cafe society of the 1930s.

Wednesday 21st October

TV

Minder – ITV 4. 6.00pm – 7.00pmArthur digs himself a hole.

Legends: Josephine Baker – The First Black Superstar – BBC 4. 7.30pm – 8.30pmDocumentary about the iconic black entertainer who was a pioneer in every sense of the word and whose impact on the cultural history of the twentieth century was profound.

The Sweeney – ITV 4. 8.00pm – 9.00pmA villain turns up dead.

Art Deco Icons (1/4) – BBC 4. 8.30pm – 9.00pmNew series. Architectural historian David Heathcote explores four of the best examples of the Art Deco design movement in Britain, beginning with Claridge's Hotel in London. Part of the Age of Glamour strand.

Flight of the Conchords (2/12) – BBC 4. 10.00pm – 10.30pmSeries one. The duo are forced to look for employment.Thursday 22nd October

TV

Film: Carry on Up the Khyber (1968) – Film4. 3.05pm – 4.50pmSaucy comedy starring Sidney James and Kenneth Williams. India 1895: in the North-West Frontier province, the villainous Khasi of Kalaber pla
ns a rebellion against the governor, Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond.Art Deco Icons (1/4) – BBC 4. 7.30pm – 8.00pmArchitectural historian David Heathcote explores four of the best examples of the Art Deco design movement in Britain, beginning with Claridge's Hotel in London. Part of the Age of Glamour strand.

Glamour's Golden Age (1/3) – BBC 4. 8.00pm – 9.00pmExploring the decades between the First and Second World Wars, when a cultural revolution in music, fashion and the arts occurred. Narrated by Hermione Norris.

Peep Show (5/6) – E4. 11.35pm – 12.05amSeries six. Mark and Jez decide to throw a party as a final hurrah before the baby arrives. Mark sees the occasion as the last-chance saloon with Dobby, while Jez attempt to make the sultry Elena jealous. What could possibly go wrong?